Apparatus for repairing and extending flag-staffs



(No Model.)

B. VITALIS. APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING AND EXTENDING FLAG STAPFS, &c. No. 366,141. Patented July 5, 1887.

W/T/VESSES l/VV'E/VTOI? p.1 WT. W W 77 77 J Attorney UNITE ra'rns BAPTISTE VITALIS, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING AND EXTENDING FLAG-STAFFS, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,141, dated July 5. 1837- Applicntion filed December 2, 1886. Serial No. 220,551. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LBnr'risrn VITALIS, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Repairing and Extending Flag-Staffs and so called Liberty Poles, 850.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to apparatus for repairing and extending, it need be, fiag-stafi's and so-called liberty-poles, &c.; andit con sists in certain features of construction, and in combination of parts, hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Flag-staffs usually have a sheave attached near the top,with a cord for hoisting the flag, and sooner or later such cord becomes rotten and breaks. If a pole be high and slender, or beunsound by reason of age, it is not safe for any one to climb such pole to replace the cord in the sheave. I have therefore devised apparatus for placing a cord in position for hoisting the flag and for extending the pole, if de sired, without special danger to the operator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a flag-staff having my improved cap thereon. Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the cap, handle, and elastic bail, together with the top portion of the flag-staff. Fig. 8

shows a flag-staff that has been extended by means of my improved device.

A represents a flag-staff that we will suppose is in want of a cord for elevating the flag.

B is a cap, made preferably of thin sheet metal-for instance, of galvanized iron. The cap is usually a foot (more or less) in length, and is made to fit approximately the end of the flagstaff, the size of the latter of course having to be, in a measure, guessed at. The cap may have slits B to render it extensible, whereby it may be made to fit the end of the pole snugly when drawn down thereon by means of the cord. The cap has attached a socket, I), and a suitable sheave, b, the latter for receiving the cord, and may, of course, have an ornamental top and be otherwise cinbellished, if desired. The socket b is made to receive the end of a handle, 0, the latter being usually of wood or of ordinary gas-pipe of small size. If the flag-staff is of great height, the handle is made in sections, thejoints where of, if the handle be of wood, will be secured by ferrules, like the joints of a fish-pole. If the handle be of pipes, they may be coupled together in the ordinary manner of coupling device, D, is secured to the handle some little distance below the cap and made to embrace the flag-staff. A preferable construction is a bail made of a spiral spring of small wire wrapped around the pole and the two ends fastened to the handle. The spring should be distended after it is drawn around the pole to such an extent that when the smaller portion of the pole is reached the recoil of the spring will keep the handle close to or near the pole. Various other well-known elastic devices would answer the purpose in place of the spiral spring aforesaid. The parts being thus placed in position, the handle is slid up alongside of the pole and more sections are added to the handle until the cap is brought above the end of the pole, when by turning the handle the cap is lowered ontothe end of the pole and drawn down snug by means of the cord. The pole may be operated from the ground or from the top of a ladder or building. After the cap is in position the handle is drawn out of the socket Z) and drawn down and taken apart at the joints and removed from the pole. If it is desired to extend the pole, the handle may pass through the socket and extend some feet above, with the sheave secured to the top end of the handle and the handle permanently secured in the socket, in which case two bails are usually employed-one near the cap, as aforesaid, and theother at the lower end of the section of the handle that is secured in the socket. (See Fig. 3.) The upper section, therefore, of the handle is left permanently attached to the pole, and the lower sections are removed. If

the sectionextending above the cap is long enough to reach down to where it is accessible, it had better be clamped or otherwise secured tothe pole at the lower end, in which case the lower bail would not be wanted.

In arranging the sheave I provide a spring, I, arranged in the position shown in Fig. 2,so that it will bend down from above and admit the cord onto the sheave, but will prevent the cord from being misplaced after it is once on the sheave. If, therefore, by means of along pole and ladder a cord could be laid on top of the sheave-block, it could be drawn into place without any trouble.

The expense of tall flag-staffs or so called liberty poles is very. great, and large numbers of them are to be found that are worthless for want of a cord to raise the flag thereon. By means of my improved device the cord can be supplied at little expense. The socket aforesaid might be made in the end of the handle, and the shank for engagingthe socket might be secured to the cap, if so preferred, without departing from the purpose and spiritrof my invention.

What I claim is- 1. The combination, with a cap for engaging the top of a flag-staff, said cap having suitabl e means for attaching the handle, of a handle and guiding device connected therewith, such guiding device being made to embrace the flagstaff, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a cap adapted to engage the top of a flagstaft, said cap having a socket and a sheave attached thereto, of a removable handle for engaging the socket of the cap, said handle having attached thereto an elastic bail made to embrace the flag-staff, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 4c tion, in the presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of October, 1886. a

BAPTISTE' VITALIS.

Witnesses: v

OnAs. H. Donne,

ALBERT E. LYNCH. 

